Goal setting is a motivational technique effective in many subject matter areas with students of various grades and abilities. This paper describes the use of individual goal-setting conferences to increase learning in various subject matter areas. The technique includes a weekly individual conference in which the student is given the opportunity…

It was hypothesized that the effect of advance organizers (principles, organization concepts, subsuming concepts, etc.) on learning and retention was additive rather than interactive--i.e., that any increment in score could be accounted for by specific factors such as additional information, additional practice, learning set, etc. One hundred and…

THE SUCCESS OF DISCOVERY MATHEMATICS TEACHING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WAS TESTED OVER A 1-YEAR PERIOD. THE PROJECT WAS INTENDED TO SEE IF A TRAINED MATHEMATICIAN WORKING AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN COULD (1) MOTIVATE THE CHILDREN TO BE INTERESTED IN SCHOOL WORK BY INTERESTING THEM IN MATHEMATICS AND (2) COMMUNICATE WITH…

Persistence at learning digit spans and goal setting was measured in 20 internal locus of control boys and 20 external locus of control boys from a sixth grade rural low SES sample. (BRT)

Responding to Professor Oscanyan's article "How Can I Teach My Students to Learn on Their Own," this article questions Oscanyan's assumptions about learning processes. (DS)

Teachers, professors, administrators must be alert to certain factors that indicate change if they wish to be successful, teaching and motivating in their chosen roles. Discusses those factors and presents six ways of motivating people to learn. (Author/RK)

Discusses important reasons why children fail to read in the primary grades, examines two critical stages in learning to read as well as the goals and emphasis each require in instruction, and suggests an effective educational prescription for helping children become good readers. (RK)

An interview with a professional speaker (Larry Wilson) who is also a professional trainer. He expresses his views on the difference between speaking and training and gives the elements in a good speech that can be applied to training. (MF)

Suggests, based on a review of research, that most of the work on motivation and attitudes as they relate to second language learning do not withstand critical analysis. It is also suggested that integrated research that does not study isolated factors but attempts to account for as many factors as possible is more valuable within its understood…

Comments note that instructional design literature rarely mentions learner motivation and learning in the affective domain, while educational research maintains such an emphasis, and explains why designers should emphasize these areas. Works by Keller on motivating learners, and Hurst on integrating instruction to include the affective domain are…

A survey of educational programers and of older adult participants in an elderhostel sought to measure the former's expectations and the latter's motivations and preferences. Findings suggest that programers must revise assumptions about older learners, develop new strategies for attracting this market, and increase interactive program planning.…

A pilot study was conducted with a variety of objects or themes in order to discover which were most likely to arouse the interest of children aged 3-6 years. Results indicated it was not the stimulus contest that aroused interest, rather the opportunity the stimulus gave for movement. (MS)

The students in our classes are widely discrepant in their motivations and aspirations. Some are eager to learn and succeed; some seem to want nothing to do with the educational system or its benefits. Academically able students may fail to reach their full academic potential for a variety of reasons, and home, school, social, and cultural factors…

Wild foods are ubiquitous motivational tools for teaching botany, environmental education, cultural foodways, and survival. Edible wild plants are wild plants endowed with one or more parts that can be used for food if gathered at the appropriate stage of growth and properly prepared. The components of this definition are discussed with…

This 30-minute videotape program is designed to show educators, librarians, and parents that teaching children how to write poetry will help them feel their worth, instill confidence in them, and create in them an enthusiasm for learning in general. The program is part of the "Poetry and Children Series," which is based on the idea that…